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Mrs Sarah JAMES, née Thorney (c.1792–1871)
Her sons Thomas Charles JAMES (1833–1861)
and Philip Henry JAMES (1835–1858)
St Paul section: Row 13, Grave A10 [St Paul ref. H10]

Sarah Thorney was born in Stogursey, Somerset in c.1792. She was staying in Charlbury when on 17 October 1819 at the church there she married Thomas James of Stratton Audley (born c.1794). They had the following children:*

• George Thorney James (born in Oxford in 1821 and baptised at St Ebbe’s Church on 11 November)
• Frederick James (born at George Street in 1823 and baptised at St Ebbe’s Church on 17 August);
  died at Pudding Bag Lane at the age of 4 and buried in St Mary Magdalen churchyard on 4 July 1826
• Maria James (born at George Street in 1825 and baptised at St Mary Magdalen Church on 16 January);
  died at Pudding Bag Lane at the age of 4 and buried in St Mary Magdalen churchyard on 23 July 1829
• Joseph James (born at George Street in 1828 and baptised at St Mary Magdalen Church on 16 May);
  died at Observatory Street at the age of 13 and buried in St Mary Magdalen churchyard on 23 October 1841
• Elizabeth Maria James (born at Plantation Road on 23 December 1831 and baptised at St Giles’s Church on 29 January 1832); died aged seven months and buried in St Mary Magdalen churchyard on 8 August 1832
• Thomas Charles James (born at Plantation Road on 28 June 1833 and baptised at St Giles’s Church on 21 July)
• Philip Henry James (born in Oxford in 1835 and baptised at St Giles’s Church on 4 February)

On 2 October 1821 Thomas James was matriculated at the University as a privileged person so that he could work as a deputy or assistant marshal to the University; and from 1832 he was the Yeoman Bedel of Law. Sarah and James began their married life in St Ebbe’s, and had moved to George Street in St Mary Magdalen parish by 1823; their address is also given as Pudding Bag Lane (Worcester Street) at this time. They lost two children in infancy, Frederick and Maria, in 1826 and 1829, and they would have been buried in St Mary Magdalen churchyard.

By 1831 they had moved to Plantation Road in St Giles’s parish, and lost a third child, Elizabeth Maria, the following year.

By 1841 the family had moved to Observatory Street in the St Paul’s district chapelry. In June that year Sarah lost her husband: Thomas James died at the age of 46 and was buried in St Giles's churchyard on 19 June 1841. (The family lived in the St Giles’s section of the St Paul’s district chapelry, and St Sepulchre’s Cemetery did not open until 1848.)

Just days later, Sarah's son Joseph James died at the age of 13 and was buried in St Giles's churchyard on 30 June 1841.

Sarah lost another son less than two years later: George Thorney James died at Observatory Street at the age of 21 and was buried at St Giles’s churchyard on 30 June 1843.

At the time of the 1851 census Mrs Sarah James, a widow of 57, was living at Observatory Street with her two surviving sons Thomas (17) and Philip (16), who were both apprentices. She herself was working as a schoolmistress.

Her son Philip died in 1858:

† Philip Henry James died at Observatory Street at the age of 23 on 24 February 1858 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 2 March (burial recorded in the parish register of St Paul’s Church).

His companions and friends erected the gravestone: it seems likely that they worked at Oxford University Press.

At the time of the 1861 census Mrs Sarah James (68) was living at 59 Observatory Street with her son Thomas (27), who was a printer compositor.

Thomas, her last surviving child, died later that year:

† Thomas Charles James died at Observatory Street at the age of 28 on 4 October 1861 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 8 October (burial recorded in the parish register of St Paul’s Church).

At the time of the 1871 census Mrs Sarah James (78) was lodging at 40 Observatory Street in the home of the widowed dressmaker Mary Warman (69). She died later that year:

† Mrs Sarah James née Thorney died at Observatory Street at the age of 79 on 18 July 1871 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 23 July (burial recorded in the parish register of St Paul’s Church).

* Two other children of a Thomas & Sarah James were baptised at St Ebbe’s Church: Sarah Anne James (24 January 1819) and Emma Jane James (2 July 1820), with their father described as a servant, which is possible as Thomas James did not become an assistant marshal until 1811. Sarah Anne, however, was born before the wedding in Charlbury later that year. Emma Jane James died at Observatory Street at the age of 21, and was buried in St Giles’s churchyard on 13 March 1841.